IDF REMOVAL OF 23 WEST BANK OBSTACLES HAS MINIMAL

S E C R E T SECTION 01 OF 03 TEL AVIV 003184

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

STATE FOR NEA FOR FRONT OFFICE; NEA/IPA FOR
GOLDBERGER/SHAMPAINE/ROSENSTOCK/PECCIA; NSC FOR
ABRAMS/SINGH/WATERS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/01/2017
TAGS: PGOV PREL IS KPAL KWBG
SUBJECT: IDF REMOVAL OF 23 WEST BANK OBSTACLES HAS MINIMAL
IMPACT

Classified By: Ambassador Richard H. Jones for reasons 1.4 (b),(d)


1. (C) Summary: On October 30, Brig. Gen. Eitan Dangot,
Military Advisor to the Minister of Defense provided the
Ambassador with a map indicating the locations of 23 West
Bank obstacles dismantled by the IDF earlier this month.
Analysis by ECF (the Economic Cooperation Foundation)
indicates that the impact of the IDF's removal of these
obstacles is minimal, at best, and will not significantly
improve the overall movement and access of Palestinians in
the West Bank. In Shatzberg's view, the obstacles removed --
two checkpoints, 21 earth mounds -- are neither located on
any main roads, nor in the central West Bank where removing
some obstacles would serve multiple Palestinian populations
and have a noticeable impact on improving Palestinian West
Bank movement. In most cases, the removed earth mounds by the
IDF will only benefit the people in the immediate area.
Moreover, twelve of the obstacles removed in the southern
West Bank would have been removed, in any case, due to their
being located west of the separation barrier, completed in
the area in the past month. According to Shatzberg, the IDF's
recent removal of the 23 obstacles is similar to previous IDF
obstacle removals which impacted the day-to-day lives of
Palestinians only minimally. The topographical map provided
by the IDF had few identifying features and Embassy worked
with ECF's GIS mapping software to detect true locations.
End summary.

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IDF Map
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2. (C) On October 30, Brig. Gen. Eitan Dangot, Military
Advisor to the Minister of Defense provided the Ambassador
with a West Bank map indicating the locations of 23 West Bank
obstacles the IDF claimed to have dismantled on October 10.
The topographical map had few identifying features and
Embassy worked with ECF's geo-spatial mapping software to
detect true locations. According to the map, the following
obstacles were removed:

-- 11 earth mounds and one checkpoint near the Bedouin area
of Ramadin, located in the southern West Bank,

-- Teqoa checkpoint, located south of Jerusalem,

-- Three earth mounds east of the Palestinian village of
Qabalan, located in the northern West Bank,

-- One earth mound east of the Migdalim settlement, located
in the northern West Bank,

-- One earth mound north of the Rechelim settlement, located
in the northern West Bank,

-- One earth mound in the Palestinian village of Huwarra,
south of Yitzhar Junction, located in the northern West Bank,

-- Two earth mounds east of Jit Junction, located in the
northern West Bank,

-- One earth mound between the Palestinian areas of Tulkarm
and Izbat Abu Khameish, located in the northern West Bank,

-- One earth mound south of Deir al Ghusun, located in the
northern West Bank.

(Note: The map provided by Dangot only identified where the
obstacles that the IDF removed were located. The symbols
used on the map were not consistent in size, nor were they
drawn to scale; thus -- the above description is only an
approximation of the obstacles' locations. The IDF did not
provide names or coordinates of the obstacles removed. End
note.)

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Ramadin and Teqoa
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3. (C) ECF consultant Ron Shatzberg provided econoff with
his analysis of the IDF's recent obstacle removal. In
Shatzberg's view, the IDF's removal of 23 obstacles -- two
checkpoints, 21 earth mounds -- will have minimal overall
impact on increasing the movement and access of Palestinians
in the West Bank. In most cases, the removal will likely
only benefit a small number of Palestinians immediately
adjacent to the removed obstacle. A former West Bank brigade

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commander, Shatzberg used his area expertise as well as his
direct contacts with local West Bank commanders to provide
the following information.


4. (C) Speaking of the 12 obstacles -- one checkpoint and
11 earth mounds -- that the IDF removed near the Bedouin area
of Ramadin, (located in the southwest corner of the West
Bank),Shatzberg noted that these obstacles would have been
removed by the IDF, in any case. He explained that the
removed obstacles ran along the north side of road 325 and
were placed there to prevent Palestinians seeking work from
illegally crossing into Israel. Since the separation barrier
had been completed in this area within the last month,
sealing access to Israel, the illegal immigration route was
eliminated so there was no further need for these obstacles.
MOD officials have also told emboffs in the past that the IDF
would remove obstacles in localized areas once the barrier
was completed.


5. (C) On the removal of the Teqoa checkpoint, Shatzberg
opined that the IDF likely removed this checkpoint due to
pressure from Israeli settlers. Shatzberg said that when the
IDF opened Lieberman Road approximately one month ago,
settlers urged the IDF to remove this checkpoint. Prior to
the Lieberman Road's opening, only Palestinians used this
route. Now that Israelis also used this route, Shatzberg
asserted that the checkpoint was removed by the IDF because
settlers did not want to be subjected to the wait. Shatzberg
noted that the removal of the Teqoa checkpoint would not be
deemed as significant by the Palestinians since this was not
a major travel route for Palestinian traffic.

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Qabalan
--------------


6. (C) Shatzberg additionally characterized the removal of
three earth mounds east of the Palestinian village of Qabalan
as minor, but something that would benefit Qabalan residents.
According to Shatzberg, one earth mound removed east of
Qabalan will open up a small road to Jurish, a small
Palestinian village located approximately two kilometers
east. A second earth mound removed east of Qabalan will give
Palestinians the ability to access a small orchard nearby
with tractors. Prior to the IDF removing this second earth
mound, Palestinians harvested and transported their crops by
foot or with the assistance of pack animals.


7. (C) The IDF also removed a third earth mound located
northeast of Qabalan. Approximately two years ago,
Palestinians attacked two settlers from the Elon More
settlement. After attacking the settlers, Shatzberg said,
the Palestinian attackers fled to the Qabalan area. In
response to this attack, the IDF placed multiple obstacles
between Route 505 and Qabalan to block potential escape
routes that could be utilized by future attackers to escape.
Shatzberg noted that this third earth mound removed by the
IDF was likely one of these obstacles blocking access to
Route 505. He said, however, that although the removal of
this barrier opens access to Route 505, Qabalan residents
already use an alternate route to Route 505.

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Huwarra and Jit Junction
--------------


8. (C) Shatzberg said that the earth mound that the IDF
removed in the Palestinian village of Huwarra stopped
Palestinian villagers from traveling north in order to bypass
the checkpoint at the Yitzhar Junction. He noted that the
removal of this earth mound was not significant, but would
give Palestinians better access in and out of a local school.


9. (C) The IDF's map indicates that two earth mounds were
removed east of Jit Junction, along the southern Nablus
bypass road. The earth mounds seem to be located across from
each other -- one on the north side of the southern Nablus
bypass road, the other on the south side -- east of the
Palestinian village of Sarra. In Shatzberg's assessment,
these obstacles were placed in these locations by the IDF to
prevent Palestinians from Nablus and its adjacent areas from
accessing Route 60. The removal of these obstacles, however,
does not foster greater Palestinian movement because
Palestinians who would access the southern Nablus bypass road
in this area would encounter other obstacles in either
direction -- within a kilometer -- along this road.


TEL AVIV 00003184 003 OF 003


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Minimal Overall Effect
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10. (C) Shatzberg did not know why the IDF removed random
individual earth mounds near the settlements of Rechelim and
Migdalim, or those east of Tulkarm. He said, however, that
the IDF's recent removal of the 23 obstacles is similar to
previous IDF obstacle removals which minimally impacted
Palestinian lives at best. The obstacles removed -- two
checkpoints, 21 earth mounds -- are neither located on any
main West Bank roads, nor are they located in the central
West Bank where removing some obstacles would serve multiple
Palestinian populations. In his view, the IDF chose easy and
often redundant obstacles to remove, rather than choosing
ones that could have a meaningful impact in alleviating
Palestinian restrictions in the West Bank.

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Comment:
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11. (C) Though admittedly, these 23 obstacles do not
represent the major significant barriers to Palestinian
movement within the West Bank as a whole, their removal will
impact local populations. They are a first step to address
movement and access issues by the Minister of Defense. In
the past, the IDF has consistently thwarted suggestions to
change its security posture in the West Bank. However,
General Dangot informed the Ambassador in their meeting that
this exercise is only the beginning and that other obstacles
would be considered for removal in the near future. End
comment.

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